Martin Ødegaard is confident that Arsenal still have “another gear to hit” as they prepare for their highly-anticipated Premier League clash with Manchester City.
Arsenal and City have been fierce title rivals in recent seasons, with City emerging victorious in the past campaigns, maintaining their dominance under Pep Guardiola. However, City’s 2024/25 season has not gone as planned, with a disastrous run of form—Guardiola’s worst streak in his career—leaving them in fourth place, 15 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal sit second, nine points adrift, and while it will take something extraordinary for Mikel Arteta’s side to close the gap to a Liverpool team that has been nearly flawless this season, Ødegaard remains optimistic.
“We’re in a good position and we have to remember that,” Ødegaard said. “But I feel like we have another gear to hit, and it was the same last year. We really hit top form towards the end of the season. Hopefully, we can do that again.”
“When you’ve been so close, you get even hungrier and more determined, especially after last year when we were there on the final day and felt how close it was. I feel the whole squad is ready now to push for it.”
Ødegaard added, “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid. To win one of the big trophies, especially the Premier League, was always something special growing up. This would be the biggest dream. It’s what we work for every day, and it’s important to stay in the moment, not look too far ahead, just focus on the day-by-day and keep going. In the end, hopefully, we will be rewarded.”
